Donation made for Albany State University study abroad program

ALBANY — Albany State University has a number of students studying abroad yearly, and officials say the ASU Office of Global Programs has continuously established new faculty-led programs to encourage more students to study abroad.

Some funding recently came into the university to help foster that.

Albany State students are studying abroad this summer in Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, China, France and Japan. The program is self-funded, so it relies on donations from individuals and institutions for success, and this year ASU-Ghana Study Abroad had its first institutional sponsor, The Albany chapter of Links, Inc., which has donated $1,000 in support of the program, said Nneka Nora Osakwe, director of global programs and professor of English at the university.

The grant donation was made through the organization’s treasurer, Flo Hill, director of academic success unit/learning support at the institution. The fund will support ASU-Ghana Study Abroad, a maiden program, which started on Thursday and ends on June 26.

Officials say students in the Ghana program will integrate cultural and professional tours into the summer courses they will be taking abroad. All students will obtain six credit hours from taking two courses in an English as a Second Language internship, which provides the students the opportunity to observe and teach English lessons abroad, and technical writing, where students will observe, analyze, and practice professional writing.

The students will be hosted at University of Cape Coast in Ghana. As they study, they will tour historical and cultural sites including the W.E.B. DuBois Memorial Library, Nkrumah Mausoleum, Cape Coast Castle, and Elmina Castle, Kakum National Park, Manhyia Palace Museum, Okomfo Anokye Sword Site, Nzulezu Village and several educational institutions.